WOODVILLE – Oil field workers in northeastern Wilkinson County made a grisly discovery Monday morning – a human fetus.

Arriving for work at a tank battery site near the intersection of Macedonia Road and Mississippi 563, workers found the fetus lying on a concrete slab near a building, said Wilkinson Coroner Travis Sharp. Sharp said the fetus appeared to be human and was about four or five inches long.

&uot;The woman must have been about three months pregnant,&uot; he said. &uot;It was formed just like a baby, just smaller it’s not something you see every day.&uot;

Sharp said the fetus was sent to Jackson for an autopsy. The autopsy will help determine the exact age, sex and race of the fetus.

&uot;I don’t have a lot of information on it,&uot; he said. &uot;My best guess is the girl or lady who did it must have had a miscarriage.&uot;

In 13 years as the county coroner, Sharp said it was the first such case he’d seen. Sharp said the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the matter, but sheriff’s office officials did not return telephone calls Tuesday.